Friday, April 05, 2019

the ability to say no to all the usual requests for
freelance work that you normally say yes to because 'god knows when you’ll get
work again'.

It’s been nearly 2 months since we set sail
(literally, on the Interislander ferry) for Dunedin. In this time, our ancient cat has not apparently
died, or even missed us. He’s going to be so annoyed when our doting house residents
leave and we come home. We bought 6 months of Chef and Whiskers cat food for
the duration and he is determinedly working his way through it all. All hail the cat of 9-12 lives.

Dunedin has been warm and sunny and welcoming, and we venture
forth in the weekends to visit beautiful places like Nugget Point Lighthouse in
the Catlins. St Clair remains our favoured spot for the moment, but we may
change our minds as the cold weather sets in. Today I donned the puffer jacket,
but the students are still sporting bare legs and jandals, so maybe I’m a Wellywuss.

I’ve settled into a new normal as far as the work goes. I
set out in the morning from the Robert Lord Cottage, leaving my husband with strict instructions to enjoy his free time and not spend too much on coffee or Lime scooters
for the day. I walk across the park to the University and find one of 2 or 3
cafes to have what I’ve coined as my 'flat write'. The coffee restriction
directive does not apply to me, as it’s very necessary to the process. My
favorite spots are in the Polytech Hub or the Otago Student Union. Here I can
eavesdrop on young people and watch them in their unnatural environment called
Tertiary Education. The moult has finished and their full coats are on and pretty
soon I think there will be some mating rituals to observe as they try and keep
warm. My hide is a laptop and I keep very quiet so as not to disturb them.

By late morning I get to my office at the College of
Education. By this time the sun has gone off my desk and it’s easier than
squinting or drawing the curtains. The whole tower block is about to undergo a
refurbishment and so the next writer in residence may have spivvy blinds and
new carpet!

I field emails, requests for work and follow ups on things I
said yes to before I knew I had the residency- the truism is, that when you are
busy, people want you even more. This is a good thing for both the ego and the
bank balance. Of course, being afreelancer, I never
expect this to last. All self employed people will know this fear. The one that
has you never plan for a holiday/new clothes/car repairs more than one month in
the future, because you never know if you’ll have work to pay for it.

So, now with a salary (be still my unaccustomed heart) it’s
possible for me to say no. But I have to exercise that muscle fiercely. Because now all I want to do is my project. I draw in the afternoons when the light is
best in my office. I’ve set myself a herculean task that involves two different
drawing styles to be combined into kind of graphic novel, but with all the prose
as well. I am making contact with students who can both inform me and read over
what I have written for authenticity and tone. I’m meeting people who are welcoming
me into their arts and literary lives. I have my formal Fellows welcome next
week at The Hocken Library with the other Arts Residents. I’m presenting at the
Dunedin Readers & Writers Week.

I’m being resident.

This is what it’s all about. Making
connections, joining the dots, exploring new work, that one day, with the
greatest of luck and fortitude, may become published. And if nobody wants it, I will put it all up
on some platform so it can be shared and, hopefully, enjoyed. Because it’s no use to anyone
in the bottom draw of my cloud storage waiting for someday. Never wait for
someday, do it now, with the Residency Application for 20/20 open, if you are a
kids lit author/illustrator, apply.

Tuesday, March 26, 2019

I was going to write about all my feelings around this last week
in New Zealand.

But if you follow me on facebook, Instagram or Twitter, or stumble
across me in comments on news items, you will know very succinctly how I feel; I feel just
like the rest of you. Unless you are someone called something like Aron, Derek
or Ryan with a fb profile full of guns and army fatigues. Pro tip- never argue
with these people. It’s a waste of your intelligence; you will become stupider
with more contact.

So, wiping myself down with sanitising cloths after emerging from the
sewers of social media (funny how you trip into them unwittingly and then have
to try and claw your way up out of a slippery siding), I will tell you a little more
about my residency and how that is going.

Dunedin proves to be more beautiful every day, despite some students
being totally unaware that being a Tidy Kiwi keeps it that way. My husband took
to brushing up broken glass and rubbish in our little street and it looks much
better for it. I think he may have guilted the Young and the Feckless into
following suit, because it has remained almost spotless for a few days now. By
the time we leave here in August, the students will have run out of money for
takeaways and beer and be deep in work they should have done in the first semester.
It will be very quiet. Bless.

I have visited Hoiho: yellow eyed penguins and Tunnel Beach and marvelled in the stunning coastline. Taken a trip to the quirky and fascinating Museum of Natural Mystery, The Otago Museum, gone to music performances at The Marama Hall and of course quite a few new favorite coffee spots with fellow writers and visiting friends... and the odd bar or two. I am pacing myself, because I don't want it all to run out before I go. It won't of course, Dunedin has a myriad of things on and I am entertained daily. It would be easy to forget what I'm down here for.

So, how's that novel going, part two.

With a new project, I find, there is the standing around the
edge of it, peering over the side, stepping back and going away to think about
it a bit more. Like a high diving platform. Summoning up the courage to commit,
because once you do, there is no going back and everything else is a distraction
you really don’t need, in case you hit your head on the board. I can report my
diving is not up to Olympic or even national standard. I got my bathers wet and
have to work on my technique. Let’s call it a shitty first dive. But there are
parts of it I like very much, so I’ll keep going, because that’s what this time
is all about. I can report I have also, as part of what is turning into a graphic novel of sorts, drawn a lot of rats. I have saved one as my instagram profile to ward off the requests from 'Single Dad, Ohio' (aka, scammer with a laptop and Western Union account for me to pour money into) to get to know me better. I don't think they will be able to in all seriousness say 'Hi Beautiful'. Unless they have a thing for rodents.

Sunday, March 17, 2019

At lunchtime I applaud our beautiful tamariki for protesting
climate change. Calling for global action. Inspirational. Our younger generation
leading the way for the planet. I’m so proud I want to hug them all. The world
is looking up.

After lunch, I sit in the audience for a panel discussion at
ID Fashion when my silent phone keeps buzzing. The talk is of sustainability
and the challenges ahead for designers. I look at the desperate message from my
adult son. ‘This is happening in Christchurch, right now!’

I check the link. Not an earthquake.

Walking outside, there are still people who don’t know.
Taking selfies, buying clothes, drinking coffee. Laughing in the sunshine. I
want a megaphone so I can shout to them, ‘Stop, stop, our world is now different!’

Fashion seems irrelevant. Red is all the rage.

Saturday 16th March

I go for a walk. The New Zealand flag is at half mast. Events
have been cancelled but Gun City is open. ‘6 Fun shooting activities you can have
without a firearms licence! ‘The ad features a man with his tiny children,
laughing and bonding over a tripod mounted weapon. Aiming at targets, finger on the trigger. Kapow. So much family fun to be had.

A visiting friend and I make our way to the mosque, buying
the last sad bunch of lilies at Veggie Boys.

‘There’s been a run on them today’ says the girl at the
counter.

A group of students
walk alongside us clutching posies of wild flowers plucked from gardens, maybe
their flats, maybe someone elses. Nobody would begrudge a stolen bloom today, headed
for a memorial, an offering of sorrow. We lay our flowers down, a poor
substitute for regret, but all we can do right now. Two more students tie a bunting
of international flags to the railings. A young Samoan girl writes ‘We love you’
inside a heart, with pink pavement chalk.

Aroha, sorry, we are not this, this is your home, spelled
out in pastels.

An official sign on the mosque gate, that has been there forever says:
‘The Messenger said: do not harm or reciprocate harm’. And something about
making sure you park legally please.

Parked outside on their feet are two policemen. It’s a shock
to see the black weapons in their arms. They hold them like an uncomfortable
apology, shaped like death.

Huddles of Muslim people. I don’t know what to do. I don’t
want to intrude.

We start to walk away and there is one young woman in a
hijab staring at the all the tributes.

I touch her hand and say clumsily, ‘I am so, so sorry,’ and
we fall into each other’s arms and sob. I hold her tight and she holds me
tighter. My friend embraces her too. There is comfort in a single act of touch.
For us maybe more than this woman. We want to be forgiven for our country
becoming this horror for her.

We walk home my friend and I, swiping at our wet faces.

There are green clad students partying on a rooftop. Early
St Patricks Day. One boy leans over and vomits again and again and again, over
the wall into the garden. A waterfall of chunks. He gets up, steadies himself and
opens another beer to the cheers of his mates. Later he will climb aboard a
Lime Scooter, fall off it and clog up the overburdened emergency department
with a broken leg. His parents will be so proud he’s at Uni in Otago, all his
future ahead of him. He doesn’t look
like the praying sort.

Sunday 17th March

I hear there’s a rush on gun sales before the law change on
ownership.

Monday, March 11, 2019

The truth is, I find myself thrown back into my Masters at the IIML, when having been accepted with a brilliant submission, I got there
and found my ideas ran off like disobedient terriers. I went through an angst
filled period of self loathing, resignation that I was totally useless, a complete
fraud and was not worthy.

Then I got down to writing.

It takes a while to settle into a place before the muse can
be given free reign (my story and I’m sticking to it). Every day seems
distracted by something that takes me away from my IMPORTANT work. Things I
didn’t finish in Wellington before I left. Getting a Residents Parking permit,
so further fines are avoided. Tell me, why does every student on George, Titan
and Great King Street own a vehicle? When I was a poor student, I sensibly
lived at home and used my parents car, and all their petrol whilst receiving a
standard tertiary bursary. Kids these days…privileged much (joking here).

Then there is meeting up with other artists, writers and
going to check out the museums and libraries. And St Clair Salt water pool until
it closes with daylight saving. ID Fashion this week, French film Festival the next. So busy! So much to see and do. A
thousand ways to avoid writing.

But still, walking everyday to my office across the North Ground green,
through the University, along the Leith. Watching students, listening to conversations
whilst pretending to look at my phone. Realising YA doesn’t always mean 15 year
old at school. Can be an 18 year old school leaver. Back in my day we left
school at 16 most often. What is a YA audience anyway except for a yarn
intended to absorb anyone over the age of 12?

And drawing.

One of the things I decided when I was coming down was that
my sketchbook was getting thin on drawings and I had lost the urge to doodle.
Part of this is because I no longer feel the need to sketch something from
life, because I’m a practised illustrator. So why fill up a diary with studies
of fruit and suchlike? I know how to draw them and doing more bores me. The other reason to draw was to nut out designs for clients.
I don’t have a client down here, I AM the client. So I bought a brown paper
sketchbook (to challenge my tonality) and decided to fill it with whimsey and
humour during my time here. If I draw something I have give it a different
spin.

I thought I was just amusing myself, but the revelation to
me today, was that this is an integral part of my project. Not these particular
drawings as such, but the way I’m interpreting the world around me. My proposed
project includes diary sketches and a fundamentally different view of life from my
protagonist.

Every new thing I am experiencing here is feeding my work.
From losing my keys down the lift well at the College of Ed, visiting Bruce Mahalski
and his Museum of Natural Mystery (and coming away with bones), to chortling at
the blatantly naughty signage on scarfie student flats.

And sitting in the Student Hub today, I did what has always
worked for me best when writing. I got out lined paper, a pen and started. And
it’s filling me with that certain excitement that other writers will know…the
one that has you wriggling about with delight. Because you are on your way.

So how’s that novel going Fifi? I can report today, that it’s
going just fine.

Monday, March 04, 2019

Writer in Residence…it conjures up a Roald Dahlesque picture
does it not? In an overstuffed threadbare armchair, crocheted rug over the knees (granny squares
101) with a leather bound desk (spotted with ink, and bearing the scratch marks
of an author’s unpublished despair). Stabbing furiously at a typewriter
(Olivetti Leterra 25). The residence is an orangerie circa 1922 with wooden framing,
glassed panes: some slightly cracked from the insistent tapping of the peach
trees outside, on a warm Francophilean day.

Not France, but charming and endearing all the same. My
Olivetti is a keyboard from Jaycar Electronics, hooked up to multiple screens
and powered with a Microsoft Surface Pro- bought with my winnings from a World of WearableArt entry. My chair is College of Education standard issue, the desk
too, with a set of draws which boasts a small selection of stationery (rumour
has it there is a stationery cupboard from which one might help oneself, should
a freelancer who has paid for this stuff all her career be so bold. Be still my
beating and astounded heart!).

I have photocopier privileges. The residence is on the 4th
floor, a room with a view of the Forsyth Barr Stadium and the Leith. There is a
sign on the door ‘Children’s Writer in Residence’ and one might expect to slide
it open a crack and see a woman with a multi coloured wig throwing words in the
air and catching them in teacups, for further wetting of the literary whistle.

If you peeked in at me, you would find instead, a small
woman with ashy hair, a room taken over with drawing board, paints, brushes,
paper and skeletal models of characters made from wire and clay. There’s an
Otago Uni branded keep cup and a thick wad of manuscript that has yet to find a
home. YA rejections, trending to the max. It’s looking at me askance whilst I work
on a new project. Sorry Wild Cards, you were so the last 10 years of my life.
Let’s take a break whilst I dally with a newer, more exciting diversion, one that takes me out to dinner and pays the bill.

Having this much sought after and prestigious position comes
with the weight of expectation. Mostly, actually, entirely from myself. Am I worthy?
Is my project up to it? Can I deliver anything? If I do, will it ever be
published. Publish or Perish, is the academic’s motto is it not? Myself and
many writing colleagues perish on a yearly basis on that premise alone, such is
the fickle industry we have chosen to align ourselves with. We resurrect
ourselves again and again.

The reality is, though, published or not, this 6 months is
whatever I make of it. The point of writing is writing.

So, to keep myself honest to my proposal (which gives
me more than a frisson of excitement when I look at it), I’ve decided to blog weekly,
about my experience here, What it is to be a Writer in Residence, and how it
will impact my work. I've survived O Week, settled into my new surroundings and I’ll start by thanking Creative New Zealand, Otago University and the College of Education for the opportunity and the late Robert Lord for the cottage I'm living in.

Chur!

To be continued… (and no, I didn’t wake up to find it was all a
dream)

Monday, December 31, 2018

Facebook reminds us daily of what happened this time last
year and some years are ones we would rather forget. Some years are full of
grief and sheer bad luck. We all have them, no matter what the aspirational Instagrammers tell us. The people close to us know what really went on; the struggles
with all manner of things; addiction, depression, financial disaster. Sometimes
you read people’s posts and think ‘Hang on, is this the same person I was
hanging out with last week?!’

Social media is designed to curate all manner of things. Laughter,
envy, adoration, conscience…

I like to have a laugh above all other things, and some
years it’s been hard to. But 2018 was good to me. It bought me work I love and people I enjoyed the company of and working with. You hang onto those years,
when things turn out, because it’s good to remember that they did, and the
tricky times are blips in the road- sometimes bloody great potholes. This year
the highway was smooth for me, and this is how it went. The things I did were, as a summary:

Celebrated my painted owl for The Big Hoot, in situ and saw it auctioned off.

Designed and built on costuming commissions for some fun
projects at CK Film Design here in Wellington.

Pulled together a 40th reunion of people who started at Wellington Polytechnic Design School (now Massey university). It was so much fun! Go here to see the one historic photo of the time on record in the official archives. Yes thats me hahaha! I was 20. Of course we dug up many more which I won't post!

Created two finalist entries, 'Bower' and 'Jellytits' in the World of WearableArt,
Bizarre Bra Section and watched them perform wonderfully on stage.

Designed and made couple of hilarious and awesome crayfish mascot suits
for a local Govt Dept - yet to be released into the wilderness, but look out
for them in the new year (still can’t show you pictures yet!)

Gathered WOW entries together for a mini show for AWE in Upper Hutt with the tireless and community spirited, Melanie Avery, then helped displayed a static wearable art exhibition
at Expressions Gallery.

Spent a month creating a special sculpture for Dress for Success using my Weta Workshop Residency, won at World of WearableArt the previous year.

Finally, finally, I have had two picture books that I
have both written and will illustrate accepted for publishing next year (more
details to come as to what and with who). Usually I either write my own novels, or illustrate someone elses picture books.

So yes, the stars were in alignment and if it seemed that
everything I touched turned to gold this year, it’s more an indication of years
of groundwork I think, making good connections with people and not letting
anyone down, even if I was dog tired. I was fortunate to keep good health both
physically and mentally. And as I said at the start of this post, some years
are just not like that (I'm remembering that appendicitis surgery, and the year of depression...) Oh, and I'm still not financially wealthy. Designer clothes and travel continue to evade me, but I am happy and content. That's worth so much to me.

So if 2018 has been one you’d rather wave goodbye to and
forget, then bid it farewell. Tomorrow is a new day, a new year, with new
possibilities. Happy 2019 all, and thank you everyone for your most excellent
support and aroha xxx

Figuring out just how best to use my time at Weta Workshop
was exciting.

I was a little unusual a candidate for the internship
because some years ago I had worked there on The Lion, The Witch and theWardrobe, so I already knew a bit about sewing costumes and riveting and
assembling armour. But I’ve always wanted to learn about sculpting, moulding
and casting and was desperate to get into those departments and find out everything.
Everything I knew I didn’t know!

It made sense for me to go with a project in mind and have
the experts at Weta Workshop guide me through the processes to create something.
After much thought, I hit upon the ideal project. Something that would give
back somewhere in the community, whilst teaching me all I wanted to learn.

I approached ‘Dress for Success’ a charity which helps
people prepare for interviews and employment with the simple but crucial
advantage of an appropriate wardrobe. I suggested that I design and create a
one-off sculpture that could be auctioned and the proceeds go to their charity. President Rhiannon McKinnon was thrilled with the idea and with the blessing of the
World of WearableArt (WOW) and Weta Workshop, we made a plan.

First, I drew up a design. I decided an oversized shoe, a
firm kind of women’s boot patterned with blossoming red flowers on one side and the koiri kowhaiwhai pattern meaning ‘flourish’ on the other, held together with a seam of
gold best represented ‘putting your best foot forward.’ A celebration of the
125th year of NZ Womens’ Suffrage.

I sent my design in advance to Weta Workshop so I could hit
the ground running on day one.

Jane Wenley met me at reception. Jane is amazing
collectibles sculptor as well as a stunning WOW model. Such talent all wrapped
up in one lovely welcoming tutor! And I needed one, having come up with my
design, I had no idea how to make it. Jane took me to the wood workshop to find
some useful chunks of timber as a base, which were then cut to the right size
for me. She showed me how to build an armature for my model. Then I was
introduced to the Plasteline sculpting compound, kept soft and pliable in
something akin to a pie warmer. I was set up in the sculpting room, at a desk
and lent all kinds of useful tools that were much handier than my own, whilst
Jane showed me the ins and outs of sculpting and kept a gentle eye on my
progress. Richard Taylor came in and gave me some tips too- about not being so
tentative with my techniques but just getting stuck in with a bit of gusto. He
really knows how to use those tools!

Over the week, Heather Palmer and Kat Sprowell popped in
from WOW, hugs all around. I had lunch out with Jane and the crew at Park Road
Post (very flash!) and learned how to use the espresso machine in the cafe like
a pro. Very important, the caffeine! I learned the useful art of making dozens
of replica Plasteline flowers from a silicon mould of my sculpt to speed up the
process, how to smooth and refine my design and make it into what I had
envisaged in the first place. I also learned that my idea of making a thing in
a week was totally underestimating the time involved. I could have spent
another couple of weeks on the sculpt, but I had a deadline and it was time to
move onto the next department.

Rob Skene runs the moulding department and took me through
the process of making a mould. I brushed silicone, made a plaster jacket and
learned all about the importance of registration keys. This process took a
couple of days and I would never have got my head around it if I hadn’t had the
guidance and access to the materials. Now if I need to do this, I know what to
buy, how much to buy and what steps are critical.

With plaster mould in hand, it was onto the casting room,
where Brian Stendebach offered to mix up the resin compounds and pour the cast.
I was very happy to hand this part over to the expert as it takes speed,
agility and know how. I watched, fascinated as the mould was filled, layer by
layer and left to set. When it was de-moulded, there, looking fantastic was my
shoe! Almost. Now it needed finishing.

moulding, casting and demoulding

The finishing room is headed by Marco Wuest who set me up at
a desk fitted with an extraction fan- very important when finely sanding your
mould to paintable smoothness. I realised then, what work I could have done on
the plasticine sculpt before I made a mould to make this process faster. After
a full day with grit and dremels, it was time to go paint a shoe!

Jules German set me up in the paint room and introduced me
to super-fast drying spray paints, more extraction booths and the marvels of
gold foil. Paint is my thing and I thought I knew everything about it, but I
learned more. I also had a nosy at the work they were doing for a film and got
some good tips on making multiple stencils. Richard popped by and I took the
opportunity to have him sign the shoe base with gold pen, alongside my name.

And then, all too soon, my time at Weta Workshop was over. I
had a photo by the weapons wall, one last flat white, goodbye hugs, handed in
my fob and walked out the door with new skills and a giant beautiful shoe that
took around 150 hours to create. It’s one in a limited edition of two, the
second is a blank cast, just for me. Then we broke the mould.

‘Flourish’ will go up for public auction soon, all proceeds
will go to Dress For Success to further their fantastic work. And unlike Banksy, we won’t destroy it when the hammer falls.

Here's a bucket list thing I have been wanting for a very long time. Once again back to that old saying: 'Your persistence is your measure of your belief in yourself' .

Still can't believe it, but have bought a puffer jacket for living in Dundin for 6 months of 2019!

University of Otago College of Education/Creative New Zealand Children’s Writer in Residence: Fifi Colston

She is an award-winning junior fiction novelist, children’s book illustrator, and non-fiction author.

"I have been playing with an idea for some time that encompasses the main strands of my creative career; writing, illustration and wearable art."

Many will know her from her time as arts and crafts presenter on TVNZ’s What Now and The Good Morning Show. Her talent has also seen her work with Richard Taylor’s Weta Workshop, Peter Jackson’s Stone Street Studios, Pukeko Pictures and The Production Shed as a costumier, puppet maker, illustrator and crafts expert.

She feels “incredibly honoured” by her appointment and is ready to embrace the opportunity it presents.

The Fellowship will enable her to work on a young-adult book “with an illustrated difference”.

“I have been playing with an idea for some time that encompasses the main strands of my creative career; writing, illustration and wearable art. I find I cannot comfortably forsake one passion for another and neither can my protagonist,” she says.

Along with providing the “absolute luxury” of being able to create a major work without having to worry about how to pay the bills, she is looking forward to getting to know the Otago area, and accessing relevant research which is only available at the University.

Thursday, April 19, 2018

Life has been busy since my win at WOW. I’ve worked on a
web series with The Candlewasters being head of art and props, worked with a small costume company on designing and constructing some fun ideas, pottered away on my wearable
art entry for this year and the biggest- literally because it was huge, painted
an owl for The Big Hoot. A fundraiser for the Child Cancer Foundation.

Vodafone were my sponsors and they put together this lovely
little video of my workshop selfies, painting my very large owl!.

The owls go up for public auction on the 29th
May. You can visit my owl, Ruru Kakotea, downtown Auckland at the corner of Vulcan Lane and Queen
Street. We removed the beautiful leather rope (plaited by the very talented Ali Middleton) for his public watch in case it
was souvenired, but it will be reinstalled for the auction.

Download the trail map and the app, and go visit all the owls,
they are absolutely stunning!

Over and out until my next post- in the meantime follow me
on facebook and Instagram.

Sunday, October 01, 2017

On Friday 22nd September, I finished up my 6 week
creative writing programme with Featherston School as part of the Wairarapa Project. Hopefully some of the kids I spent time with are writing
stories with good beginnings, interesting middles and fine endings with a host
of interesting characters.

My own interesting character, graced the stage at the World of WearableArts Award show that very night. I had on some shiny silver shoes
with no particular expectation of doing anything but dancing in them at the
after party. So, when my name was called as the first place winner in the Weta
Workshop Other Worlds Section, I nearly fell off them. I did in fact scream.

Contrary to popular belief, I have never won a section at
WOW in all the 22 years I have competed. I’ve had a couple of seconds and
thirds over my 24 finalist garments and I was pretty over the moon about those.
But this year, well, WOW! I went on
stage to get my trophy and hug Richard Taylor. I may have left mascara stains
on his lapel; him being very tall and me being very short, and, well, I was
crying at the time.

me, stunned with a trophy

In addition to the first trophy I have ever had in my life
(including school), I won a money prize and am still deciding what I should
buy. I’m thinking, because my old Samsung tablet is dying and my laptop kicked
the bucket years ago, that to be more portable I might get a Microsoft SurfacePro. I may be a creative but that does not mean I am an Apple gal. Macs and me
only get a long if that is the lipstick brand. Of course if anyone with any influence
is reading this, I am happy to be given these products to unbox, use and social
media about. Isn’t that what happens when you finally get famous? You get given
everything you couldn’t afford before? :D

The other part of my prize is to be flown to Weta Workshop to
complete a 4 week internship. It’ll be a very short flight on the Flyer bus, as
I live 5 minutes away as the crow flies. I’m very much looking forward to
spending time there and having a go at a variety of disciplines!

My garment, The Organ Farmer was modelled just superbly on
the WOW stage and I couldn’t have been happier. My rationale for this fairly
nightmarish piece (I didn’t show the pics to my mum in case she thought I’d
lost my mind) is as follows in this article and video clip on Stuff.

Cybernetic regeneration of vital tissues

In 3446 the
Cyborgs come to a realisation that humanity might have a purpose. Their
experimentation however, produces unexpected results. In a heartbeat, this
lowly host experiences strange new feelings previously unknown, opening up a
world of sensation as the fleshy graft takes hold.

Photos of my final piece by Werner Kaffl who was an absolute pleasure to work with.

The organ Farmer. Photos by Werner Kaffl

I finished up the amazing week that was, by flying to
Queenstown, and doing a week long tour of Southland schools with Storylines,
along with Des Hunt, Scott Tulloch and Barbara Else. We visited and talked to 3
schools at day for 5 days from Queenstown to Invercargill. The weather was
awesome, the kids bright eyed and bushy tailed and we had a wonderful time
passing on what it is to be writers and illustrators, and in my case a costume
designer too.

looking at Torty and the Soldier

I round off the next week with a free wearable art workshop at Te Papa on Wednesday for kids, and the Storylines National Children’s
Writers and Illustrators Hui where I’m presenting a workshop on presenting.
It’s what I love, and find fun but others find terrifying. I will help people
get over their fear. After that, I can collapse. Oh hang on…I have a giant owl
to paint for The Big Hoot!